


Day One

by Fionhen



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 22:58:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2891219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fionhen/pseuds/Fionhen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for LePeru for the livejournal Christmas gift exchange at multifan_gift. </p>
<p>I hope you enjoy this, LePeru! I couldn't resist making it a little Christmassy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day One

**

This is where Captain America has decided to hole himself up. Tony is less than impressed with the entire adventure so far, wondering why he'd decided to drive out here himself and mourning for the ruin of the undercarriage on his car. A sports car isn't made for roads like this but Tony doesn't exactly have any trucks in his fleet of vehicles to choose from. Now he can see it for the gross oversight it is.

The ground is frozen underfoot and Tony's breath is frozen in the air, the white mist of his breaths hovering around him. There is no snow on the ground yet and maybe that's worse. Tony stands on the side of the long and lonely road. His car has dived nose first into a shallow but steep ditch that he can't get it out of. Black ice sits glistening on the road. No one has driven by in the last hour that Tony has been stranded here and the sun is starting to go down. 

A suit might have come in real handy right now. 

_”You're going to come out here?” Steve's voice, dry and sceptical over the line. “You realize I'm in the woods? Trees? You know what those-”_

_“Jesus Christ, Steve. I've seen trees. Yeah, in those big cement pots in shopping malls.” The noise Steve makes is positively wounded. “Don't be stupid. I'm going to come out there.”_

_“Why?”_

Tony clenches his eyes shut. Why. Steve had had to ask him why. Tony doesn't really know. Because it's Christmas. Tony had kind of gotten used to spending the holiday's around people, with someone. Pepper for a couple there. Rhodey. Last year, they'd actually gotten the whole team together, all the Avengers. They hadn't decorated or exchanged gifts or anything but still. Tony doesn't want to get stuck alone this year because everyone else has something to do and Tony is the only one who doesn't. 

Well, not quite the only one. Steve Rogers is sitting around not doing a thing either, least as far as Tony can tell. He's retreated for a 'quiet vacation'. Some time to gather himself. Contrary to what people think, Tony gets that. He absolutely understands needing to get some time apart. Tony just does it differently, he retreats to his work shop when he needs that sort of space. Steve, being the all American man he is, retreats to the woods. 

Tony swallows his pride and dials Steve's number, thanking the gods that there is still reception here. 

_”Just for a few days.” Tony didn't want to explain why. “I'll bring eggnog.”_

The eggnog is probably frozen in the trunk of his ruined car. Tony's teeth are starting to chatter when several rings go by before Steve finally picks up the phone. 

“Rogers.” He's so fucking proper. 

“Hey, Cap. You're going to need to start calling me Iron Popsicle soon.” 

It's funny. Tony can almost hear Steve come to attention. “Tony? Where are you? I expected you over an hour ago.” 

Tony glances back to his poor car. “Yeah... I'm having a bit of car trouble. I'm fine,” Tony quickly interjects when he can almost hear the worry about to come tumbling out of Steve. It helps warm Tony a bit. It's what he's come this far for, though he'll only admit it to himself. “I could use a lift.” 

“Where are you?” 

“On the side of the road. Not too far, I don't think.” 

“Okay. Sit tight, I'm on my way. And stay warm, there's a blizzard forecast tonight.” 

“Ya don't say,” Tony says. A gust of frigid wind blows straight through Tony's jacket. He gets into his car, turns the engine on and gets the heat going. It's going to be a long wait for Steve and the radio stations all seem full of nothing but obnoxious Christmas music. Tony listens for about a half hour anyway before he turns it off and lets the silence settle over him. 

Snow is starting to come down, big fat flakes of it falling over the car and settling on the glass before Tony. The hush that's in the air can't possibly be natural and Tony sits where he is, huddled in his seat. A few moments go by before he gives in and turns the sound of Christmas back on. That's how Steve finds him, some twenty minutes later, Tony sitting with his head tipped back and eyes closed, Winter Wonderland filling up all the quiet space between the falling snowflakes. They're coming down heavier, a blanket of white over Tony's red car. 

“A dozen cars in your garage and not one that can handle a winter road?” Steve asks after he's tapped on the window glass and Tony has let the door open a crack. 

“Shut up. Get me out of here.” Tony is cold and he's embarrassed, regretting his stupid decision to ever come out here. Steve doesn't comment, he waits while Tony grabs his bag and locks his car up. Sharp as a tack Steve has brought a four wheel drive truck more than capable of ploughing through the snow that's steadily building up on the road. Glowering at it, Tony trudges across the road to where it sits idling on the side, nearly stumbles on that sheet of ice, and then gets into the passenger seat. 

Steve follows him, door slamming shut, and he tosses Tony a sideways glance. “I've got eggnog.” Tony looks at him. “Popcorn,” Steve hedges. Tony smiles a little. 

The snow is falling around them in heavy squalls blown up by the wind now. Steve didn't come a moment too soon. Neither of them pay much attention, too busy looking at each other. Steve puts the truck into gear, starts the pull out onto the road. The truck and trailer skidding on the black ice hits them with enough force that Tony's world blacks out immediately.

**

“Your hands are freezing.” Steve's voice comes at Tony somewhere from the left. It doesn't fill up the space between the snowflakes like the music did. It sounds cracked and distant. Steve might be screaming at him from miles away.

“Can't feel them,” Tony answers. He assumes then that Steve must be touching him. How else would Steve know if his hands are warm or cold? But Tony can't feel that. He imagines his skin cracked with ice and suddenly a sharp pain lances up his fingers. 

“Easy, Tony,” Steve says. His hands squeeze around Tony's which spasm in the grip, Steve's hands like great big warm mitts enveloping him. Tony gasps and shudders for a moment but Steve remains a quiet steady presence beside him. Close but not enough, something is keeping Tony in place and he's too tired to figure out what. Seat belt, some last scrap of his conscious says to him. Tony remembers where they are. 

Ahead of them is the cracked and broken windscreen. Cold air is blowing in, a thousand snowflakes in the air, whipping against Tony's face with little pinpricks of cold. The blizzard outside is raging now. Through the fall of snow, Tony can make out the flashing lights of the semi-truck that hit them, blinking distracting and bright from the ditch. 

“Is he...” Tony starts but can't quite finish. His tongue is thick and heavy in his mouth. Tony mostly just wants to close his eyes and maybe sleep but when he tries Steve is there to shake him awake. 

“He's on his radio calling for help. We just have to wait a little while.” 

Tony grimaces. “But I just wanted-” 

“I know,” Steve says. 

“It's Christmas.” 

“One more day,” Steve agrees. 

“I fucked everything up again.” His chest hurts. His eyes sting. Steve's big hand leaves Tony's to cup the side of his face instead and Tony is too tired to be embarrassed by accepting the tender move. He lets Steve cradle the weight of his head, eyes slipping closed again. 

“Stay with me, Tony, none of this is because of you. Some things just happen.” 

Tony snorts. “I'm a thing that just happens.” 

“Don't be stupid.” Wow. Captain America must not be feeling as well as he's pretending if that's how he's going to reassure Tony. Tony doesn't have the energy to argue, though. His eyes slip closed despite the gentle shake that Steve gives him and Tony feels the cold wash through him again. Then heat, a warmth that blooms out over his mouth and his cheeks. He opens his eyes to find Steve a scant inch away from him, his warm breaths ghosting over Tony's face in the heartbeat before Steve kisses him. 

Tony's heart hammers, pumps blood in a sudden spike of adrenaline through his system, and it hurts. He groans and tenses. 

“Tony? Tony, I'm sorry. Can you hear me?” 

It's impossible to answer through the pulse of fire that starts somewhere in his right side, Tony can't pin point the spot. The noise he does manage to make is garbled. He tries to look down, see where the pain is, but Steve catches his face between his hands and holds him fast. 

“Please,” Tony says and Steve just holds onto him.

**

“I'm sorry,” Steve says. “I didn't know what to do and it seemed like...well, like the only option at the time.”

“Only option for what?” Tony asks, his voice quiet and weak. 

A pause answers him. Tony can't quite bring himself to open his eyes yet but he's been listening to Steve talk for a minute and no one else is answering the man. He wants to sleep again but first he needs Steve to stop. 

“I didn't know you were awake,” Steve says. 

“Only option for what?” Tony asks again. 

“To keep you with me, I guess.” 

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Tony slits his eyes open so that he can glare at Steve. A glare with no force behind it is better than no glare at all and Steve looks uncomfortable so it must have some effect. 

“I kissed you. We were in a car accident.” 

“I remember that.” Tony remembers being bitterly cold and then he remembers why he'd been out in a snow storm in the first place. 

“What day is it?” 

“Christmas.” 

Brilliant. “So...you kissed me to keep me with you, huh?” 

“To keep you awake.” 

“Didn't work out so well for you.” Tony can feel his eyes slipping closed again now as well. Warmth breaks against his mouth and his eyes snap open fully this time, just in time to watch as Captain America pulls back from his mouth. 

“I want you to stay awake now, too.” 

“Yeah? Maybe I can manage that.” 

Steve does it again and Tony changes his 'maybe' to a 'definitely'. It beats the present Tony had wrapped in his trunk for Steve and it beats any plans of the board games and movies he'd had for Christmas Eve.


End file.
